December 15th marked the 30th anniversary of the Tales of series and Bandai Namco had a lil’ stream to mark the occasion. Drumming up sales numbers, a little announcement on what’s to come, and mostly fanfare, nobody expected much from the stream. These types of affairs are usually a spectacle with little substance and the Tales of 30th anniversary stream was no exception, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to talk about. Sometimes it’s not always the people in charge that have the most exciting announcements.
During the stream the Tales of X account announced that the Tales of series has accumulated over 25 million in sales. Despite being a popular franchise among the Japanese RPG community, this is no small feat. Tales of Arise, the latest entry in the series, exceeding 1 million copies sold is the fastest selling in series history. Arise isn’t the only highlight as Tales of Berseria sold 2 million copies and Vesperia Remastered sold 1.5 million in kind. Considered great news for both Tales of fans and Bandai Namco to be sure.
Bandai Namco had a stream for both Japanese and English audiences alike. While making sure to talk about the upcoming release of Tales of Graces f Remastered (Releasing January 17th, 2025), they also dropped news about similar releases to come. Named ‘Remastered Project,’ Bandai Namco will continue releasing remastered versions of Tales of games consistently. While they were light on details, the important part is that this long running series that might seem impenetrable to those on the outside will see some remasters of its more favorable titles. My hope is a Tales of the Abyss remaster but unfortunately, we may already have a confirmation of the next project.
Though unlikely considering the Tales of Graces f remaster doesn’t come out for another month, it’s already been rumored that Tales of Xillia is the next remaster. Though we should take rumors with a grain of salt, Tales of Xillia does make some sense for the next title in line. Both Tales of Graces f and Tales of Xillia share a console generation, being locked in the west to the Playstation 3. Speculatively, I imagine they share an engine and really, that might be enough to make it a favorable choice for a remaster. My only concern with Xillia is that there’s a direct sequel and it seems questionable to remaster one game without the other.
Bandai Namco weren’t the only ones interested in celebrating the Tales of 30th anniversary though. Life Bottle Productions, a translation group, released their English translation of the game Tales of Rebirth. Tales of Rebirth released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2 and again in 2008 for the PlayStation Portable, and never made its way to the west. Another exciting prospect at Remastered Project as there are a few Tales of titles that never made it westward. Of course, regardless of whether or not these games get translated officially, fans have put tireless effort into bringing them westward themselves. Notably, there are quite a few Tales of games that never made it westward that have had English translations released, such as Tales of Innocence R also released by Life Bottle.
Why the Tales of 30th Anniversary is important
Whether you’re a Tales of fan or a fan of RPGs in general, this is good news for both the series and the genre. It’ll be exciting to see what Bandai Namco has in store for the next major entry, which has still not received any notable news. Perhaps we’ll see something on the actual 30th anniversary, considering the first Tales of release, Tales of Phantasia, was actually released in 1995. We’ll make sure to keep you informed, should anything arise.
